Presidential travels over the years come at a cost because of how we’ve decorated our presidents – Lord Mensah

An Economist with the University of Ghana Business School, Dr Lord Mensah says Ghana over the years has not had value for money from the various presidential travels.

Speaking on the Morning Starr on Thursday, the University of Ghana Lecturer said the huge entourage that accompanies the president on the many foreign trips have come at a huge cost to the state.

“We are not getting value for money on the presidential travels especially when you look at the number of people the president travels with. If you take the Presidential travels that we’ve done over the years it comes at a cost because of how we’ve decorated our presidents,” he told Morning Starr host Francis Abban.

Dr Mensah also dismissed suggestions from some government officials that the current presidential jet is not fit for purpose and a new one must be acquired.

“What happens in this country is that with every single decision that we’re taking, somebody has an interest. Every project that we’re going into is a deal for somebody…If you ask me, this is not the right time to buy a presidential jet especially when people are crying for the country to be fixed.”

His comments come after justifications by the Defence Minister, Dominic Nitiwul, over the decision by President Akufo-Addo to rent a 15, 000 pounds an hour private jet for his recent trips.

Answering questions from North Tongu MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Mr Nitiwul argued that the safety and security of the president was the ultimate factor in deciding the type of aircraft used for his travels.

He argued the Presidential jet is handicapped in handling long distance travels which will require refuelling. He also revealed that the jet lacks enough luggage capacity as well as a place for the president to shower while onboard the presidential jet.

“The decision to travel to long and multiple destinations such as the president travelling to France, Belgium and South Africa, will always require a larger aircraft even when the Falcon is airworthy…When the President is travelling with more than 20 people for a business trip…you will need more than just a Falcon, otherwise, the people will have to go more than a day ahead of the president to prepare themselves.

“The president himself must go more than a day ahead to prepare himself because no president can shower in this aircraft, so you can’t move from this aircraft straight into a meeting,” Mr Nitiwul said in Parliament on Wednesday.